Delight thyself also in the Lord; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Psalms 37:4

Being called. It can be a mystery. Indeed if you are not a believer in Christ, it is a mystery: For the first calling God makes to everyone is to faith in Him. “Unto you, O men, I call; and my voice is to the sons of man” (Proverbs 8:4). And lest you not understand your need of salvation Christ says, “. . .  for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Matthew 6:13). And just in case you fail to see yourself as a sinner Scripture repeatedly states, “As it is written there in none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10). So, my beloved, unbelievers, the first calling of God you must answer, is the call of God to repentance, and faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

But, what is the calling of the believer? Scripture is full of general callings for the believer: Baptism and church membership (Acts 2:39-41), service in the church (Romans 12 and I Corinthians 12), prayer (I Timothy 2:8), study of God’s Word (II Timothy 2:15), preaching the gospel (Mark 16:15), and having a pure conscience toward God–from the inside out (Proverbs 4:23 and Romans 12:1-2). Check, check, check. You got all that covered, right? Well, if you are like most believers, you may not have that all covered. However, you are letting the Holy Spirit work these things through your life. (By the way, the above is not a checklist: These are lifelong goals.)

So, now what? Isn’t there something more? Something deeper? Something that satisfies that longing to be something beyond mediocre? Something that transcends your adjustable tax income, how great you are at playing this sport or that instrument, or how many likes you got on your last Facebook post? Now that you are Christ’s don’t you just want to know, “What am I here for?”

The answer is: I have no clue.

Oh, I know YOU have a purpose. God’s Word says, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). Did you hear that? The God of the Universe created you for a special work, and has already made the way for you to accomplish that work.

But, what is your specific purpose? The answer is for you to know from God.

Now most of us will NOT have an awesome vision like Isaiah did when he was literally brought to the throne room of God (Isaiah 6). Probably we won’t get an angel sent to us like Zacharias, Joseph, and Mary (Luke 2). And it is way too late to get a preincarnate appearance of Christ, such as Abraham (Genesis 18), Jacob (Genesis 32), Moses (Exodus 33), and Joshua (Joshua 1). And since Christ has only been seen by Paul and John since about 100 A.D., I don’t think flocking to Damascus Road or the Island of Patmos will allow us to get a physical vision of Christ with specific directions for our lives.

So how do you know God’s calling on your life? You just know. If you are reading God’s Word;  getting taught in a local, Bible preaching church; praying; AND specifically praying for God to show you His will for you–you will find it. “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13). As a very, wise pastor has said, “God does not through His will in the wilderness, and expect you to find it.”

For me, God reveals His will for my life by gentle nudging: Encouragement from others, natural talents, unmet desires (also known as frustration and disappointment), and observable needs for others and the world. Eventually, if I don’t get it, I hear His distinct voice. It is true Christians hear voices in their head. Lots of them. But Christ has promised, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27). Most often it is a whisper, but sometimes it becomes a shout. And when my Shepherd starts shouting, I had better listen, because it is always for my own good.

So what is your calling? What are you going to do when you grow up in Christ?